TOKYO – The American father-son extraction team that spirited indicted former Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn out of Japan inside a box were sentenced to years in a Japanese prison on Monday after a judge rejected their pleas for leniency, saying they did it for the money.
Father Michael Taylor, 60, the former U.S. Green Beret whom the judge said led the "unprecedented escape," was sentenced to two years. His son Peter, 28, was given a lighter sentence of one year, eight months, in light of his role as a supporting player in the plot.
In handing down the sentences in the Tokyo District Court, Chief Judge Hideo Nirei said their lockup time would be reduced by 90 days each because of their time spent jailed during the trial.
The Taylors were arrested in Massachusetts in May 2020 and extradited to Japan in March. Since arriving in Japan, they have been locked in the same Tokyo jail that once housed Ghosn.
Prosecutors had sought a two-year, 10-month sentence for Michael Taylor and a two-year, six-month sentence for Peter. Defense lawyers argued for a suspended sentence.
A defense lawyer said on Monday that they had not yet decided whether to appeal.